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What Goes Up Must Come Down
The Cold War at River Rock Publishing between Brent and Julianne continues. Erica, editor of "The None" - Katie's new book - is falling on Julianne's side of the war, despite not wanting to have to choose between the two. When a traumatic event occurs to Erica at River Rock, Dr. Tom decides on Erica's tenure at a dot com in 2001 as the next item on her list to revisit. Erica quit her job at meandyoumakes2.com just prior to it being sold. If she had stayed at the dot com through its sale, she probably would have made millions. Dr. Tom sends her to an alternate reality first in 2004 and then in current day 2009 as if she had stayed at the dot com through its sale. Erica is unsure if this visit will become her new reality. But through this process, Erica learns that life experience is important to personal growth. She uses this knowledge to reinvent herself, but not without some obstacles. Meanwhile, Kai is being pressured by Travis to embark on the path which ultimately led to Travis' suicide. Kai tries to change this path to save Travis' life, but ultimately Kai comes to a more important understanding. Full Plot River Rock is hosting the official launch of The None. Katie thanks Erica and Julianne for their talent and being the vision for the launch. Voiceover: "Ever get that feeling you've hit your stride, you're on top of the world?" Julianne praises Erica's work, and bachelors come in to mingle. Julianne senses they have a NY Times best seller on their hands. Erica comes home and tells Ethan it was a perfect night. He has a gift for her, a pen with an inscription: "You're the one". Before turning in for the night, Erica wants to check the reviews, and sees one bad review after another, including from top reviewer Larry Horowitz. Voiceover: "Without warning, a setback can strike, setting us back even further from where we start from." At River Rock, Erica discusses their setup with Julianne. Erica insists Larry misunderstood what Katie was trying to do, and that the review wasn't fair. Julianne rebuts: If the book sells, no one will remember the reviews. Don't dwell, focus on the sex scoop. Move on. Erica can't drop it. As she is leaving River Rock she sees Brent is telling someone his script is not right, given their current colossal failure. Erica strikes up a conversation with this person who tells her: I just got another rejection; by number nine you almost stop feeling it. He asks if Erica is an editor too, and then introduces himself as Seth Newman. Erica looks at his manuscript and asks: What is the Purple Door about? Seth says It's the story of his life. He was raised in a cult, his parents still there, he got out by escaping, and hadn't looked back until now. Erica thinks it's an amazing story and will read his manuscript, with no promises. At the National Post, Erica confronts top reviewer Larry Horowitz and tells him she thinks he misinterpreted what Katie said. She says it's an optimistic book about finding love. Larry: Through mediocrity? Through settling? Stop holding out for Mr. Right. and settle for Mr. Wrong? Erica: No, Mr. Real. Larry: Now that's a worthy ideal. This is the cynical flip side that all guys are fixer uppers, so never hope to find your soul mate. This book made me angry, it's a manual about giving up on how to stop looking for love. I married my soul mate, I did not marry The None. At Goblins, Travis tells Kai: remember you thought the band shouldn't enter V-Fest? There's a happy ending, we got in. It's not main stage, but there will be key industry people who will hear us play. Kai doesn't want to do this, and says don't you want to keep the band small? Travis is confused and says when did I say that? and leaves. Dr. Fred appears and reminds Kai: Travis has a point, you're a couple of years early. He notes that Travis has big dreams too. Your future you keep fighting, it looks like it found you. At River Rock, Julianne tells Brent his edit notes for Mystery of Tomorrow are not up to snuff. Brent disagrees since he and Friedkin resonate, he and Julianne argue, and Julianne insists she is his boss. He's firm the edits will remain. Erica intervenes and asks: Brent, what is wrong with you? She gave you your shot, you'd still be in the mailroom. Frank Galvin walks in, standing behind Erica and Julianne and Brent asks that everyone remain calm and professional. Julianne rebuts: Professional? Is that what you were doing when you went to Frank Galvin behind my back? You were looking out for Numero Uno and Frank is either too naive or in the early stages of Alzheimer's not to see that. Frank says: Julianne! And calls both Julianne and Erica into his office. Frank berates Julianne for engaging in a shouting match with a fellow employee and says the department is in shambles. He berates Erica for visiting Larry Horowitz, and Julianne is shocked because she didn't know Erica had done that. Frank continues: you didn't think, giving a junior editor free rein, getting involved with Friedkin. The sex scoop is based on the success of The None and that is a failure. Erica says the two books are different, and Frank erupts: Who do you think you are?! There have been errors in judgment compromising this company, pack up your desks and be out before lunch, both of you. Erica is upset, and Ethan is trying to console her. Erica: I got fired again. This is the story of my life. Ethan thinks she'll find another job, and thinks this is an opportunity as Erica has always wanted to work in fiction. Erica is worried that they're in a small industry, and everyone reads the reviews. She wants to crawl into bed and ends up in Dr. Tom's office. Erica: I got fired, why does it have to be so hard? Dr. Tom: What would make things better, a vacation? Good book? A lottery ticket, money? What do you think that would solve? Would it buy a little happiness? Erica says no, it's more about freedom. Dr. Tom brings her back to her list, and Erica realizes this is about her regret MeAndYouMakes2.com. She worked there during the boom, and quit a few months before they were bought out - this was a lottery ticket she threw away. She bemoans that you can't go back to win the lottery. Dr. Tom corrects her and says you can't go back and buy a ticket. This is a legitimate regret. Indulge me. Erica: If I were to stay, I would have been rich in my 20's. I could have paid off all my student loans, I would never have had to work in a call center. I could have dedicated time to writing, life would have been completely different. She flashes into doing her makeup and a handsome guy walks into the bathroom informing her he made reservations at Canoe. When she doesn't respond, he says you could say: Thanks Luc, and she thanks him now that she knows his name. She leaves the bathroom to realize she's in an extraordinary house. Luc has a 2pm appointment at Goldman Sachs but tells her to call him after her meeting. She doesn't know what meeting, and he says: about the book at River Rock? OK not a book yet but I believe in you. Luc leaves. The door bell rings, and it's Dr. Tom bringing her the 2004 clothing collection. Erica is confused because she worked for the dot com in 2001. Dr. Tom elaborates: you didn't quit, your options vested, and you made millions. He's her personal stylist for her meeting today. Erica: I own a first edition of Ulysses. I wonder if James Joyce signed it. Dr. Tom thinks she would want to focus on a manuscript of a story she started in Lozar's class. It's the first chapter of a book, and she has already started expanding it. Erica: And I snagged a meeting at River Rock? Dr. Tom: You frequent the same club as Frank Galvin's daughter. "Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable. - Coco Chanel" Erica arrives at River Rock, and Frank beckons her over. Erica launches into her pitch about a heroine who undergoes many challenges, and Frank interjects, saying he was born after the Great Depression, built the company from nothing, and lived in poverty, whereas she became rich overnight. He admonishes her to write about what she knows, for how could she know anything about the protagonist? Start from scratch. Stop trying to be the next Margaret Atwood. Be what you are. Write the next Devil Wears Prada. Write what you know. Erica returns home, and her phone rings. Someone named Shayna is wondering where she is. Apparently Erica has a shiatsu session once a week. Shayna wants to know if Erica is going to the Noam Chomsky lectures, and Erica is excited until she realizes something has happened between her and Judith, and they don't talk anymore. Erica meets with Judith, who wants to know what the big emergency is. Erica wants to know why they don't talk anymore, and insists she doesn't hold anything back. Judith: Fine. You used to be ambitious. You wanted to be an author... But ever since you cashed in all you do is shop, travel, go to parties, lectures, and silent auctions. You don't even try any more... It's not like I don't love you. We were best friends for years. We're just in different places now. I have to go to work. For the record, you stopped calling me. Back home, Luc thought Erica was going to see Chomsky, but she canceled to meet with Judith over coffee. She told him River Rock didn't go well and asks him what she does all day. She doesn't have a job, she goes for massages, and asks if she sits around and talks about bon bons every day? Luc reminds her that she's writing a book, and tells her who needs River Rock, she could self-publish, or buy a publishing company. Erica says: It's that easy, if I can't do it myself, just buy a publishing company. She blinks and is working at a customer service job at WTP Insurance, and her boss Vera is standing over her. After her shock and an unpleasant exchange with Vera, she answers the phone and Dr. Tom is on the other end. She goes to the washroom all the while searching for Dr. Tom and ends up in his office. While in the original timeline Erica didn't work at WTP in 2009, in this timeline she is in training. Dr. Tom: You lived the good life for awhile, but the well ran dry. It didn't help having Luc as boyfriend and financial advisor, he was bad at both. It's gone. All of it, and with nothing to fall back on. It turns out little came of Erica's novel. She broke up, wanted to get away from it all, and went on safari to Tanzania. She didn't finish the book, and now lives with her mom. Erica pleads with Dr. Tom to send her back to the real 2009, and Dr. Tom says: who says this isn't real? Go on and enjoy the first day of the rest of your life. Erica is irate and insists she's not going anywhere, and finds herself back at the customer service job. She gets into another argument with Vera, who then fires her by sticky note. Erica is at home talking to Barb who says: You'll find something else... When you hit a bump, you pick yourself up, and keep going. Erica: Is this as good as it gets? Barb: I do get it. Losing your job is one thing. Losing your son and marriage is another. When your father and I got together, we could see our entire future with three healthy happy kids. But things don't always turn out as you imagine. Whatever cards you're dealt, you have to play them. It's hard and it never stops. But you learn and change and grow. Even in the darkest moments, I remind myself it's the reason we're all here. So you're at the bottom again, it could be worse. Get back up, and keep fighthing. Erica is now at River Rock, sees Brent in his office, and introduces herself. She has no appointment, but is hoping to talk to him about working at River Rock. She love books, and feels she has what it takes to work with authors and develop projects, even though her CV doesn't reflect that. Brent tells her she has no experience, and Erica offers to start in the mail room. Brent tells her mail sorters don't wear Prada. Erica: Secret #34: Dress to impress. I bet you did. Brent says he will see what he can do. Erica thanks him, leaves with a smile, and finds herself back in her apartment in her own timeline. She's updated her CV, is dressed professionally, and has a list of every publishing company. She goes from place to place to drop off her CV, and at the end she's tired, and sits. She sees a bus stop ad for The None with disparaging graffiti on it, takes out Seth Newman's script, and starts to read. Later she meets with Julianne, who is still grieving over getting fired. Erica shows her Seth's manuscript, and says it's amazing. It needs work but it's so different. Julianne notes they're unemployed and pariahs. Erica muses: What if we publish it? Let's start a company together. Julianne: Erica, starting a company is a big deal. Erica: Stop being such a debbie downer. When did you give up without a fight? We got fired, but this is also an opportunity to try something. Maybe this is the universe's way of giving us a push. Julianne: When the Lord closes the door somewhere he opens a window. Mother Superior. She promises to read it, with no guarantees. At Goblins - Kai accuses Travis of stalking him. Travis says Kai is a completely different person. Kai wants to know if Travis really wants V-Fest, and he says yes, that's the whole point, go big or go home. Don't back out on us now. Kai reluctantly agrees to be part of the band. After Travis leaves, Kai sees Dr. Fred and says he doesn't want to hear it. Dr. Tom is talking to Erica: So, winning the lottery is not all it's cracked up to be. It did give you freedom. Erica: Yeah, freedom to coast and stop trying. It did solve some problems but created a whole bunch of new ones. The hard years, the struggle to find my way made me different, made me better. Dr. Tom: Where would we be without struggle, hardship and pain? It's easy to forget how these moments teach and shape us. Erica: It's hard to look at a setback as a gift. Dr. Tom: Why, when that's exactly what it is. "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. - Albert Camus" Erica's voiceover: "Setbacks. We face them everyday. Some cause us to stumble. Others bring us to our knees. And along with pain and heartache, each setback brings us an opportunity to be stronger and better than before." Erica is celebrating; when Ethan comes home he thinks she got a new job. She says rather, a new direction. What if Julianne and I were to start our own publishing company? She and Ethan begin to argue - he thinks it's risk and she knows she will have to take out a business loan. She wants to know why he's being so negative and he insists he's trying to be practical and doesn't agree with what she's doing. Erica's voiceover: "But no sooner have we conquered a setback, we'll find another just waiting to take its place." Category:Season 2 episodes